"Bring out your
dead. Bring out your dead" - Monte Python
"That sounds like Rock and or Roll!" - Reverend Lovejoy
"Security is
tight, like unto a dish" - NK
"They give me no
EAGLE POWERS! They give me no nutrients!" - Nacho Libre
"Get ready you
devil dogs because the Master Bebop Blaster of all time is about to give you a
SOUL INJECTION!" - Radio, Brave Little Toaster
"Package a day
keeps the spirit away" - NK
"Non parlo
Italiano"
"VERERDI NOTTE
CALCIO!!!"
This week was, as
Tyler describes it, "The highest of the highs, the lowest of the
lows". But, lookin' back on the week I only remember the highs, however,
lookin' over my journal entries I found a few juicy tidbits I could share about
the funny (not haha funny) things that happen here at the Lord's Training
Center.
"Bring out your
dead. Bring out your dead" - Monte Python
Well the week started
off with our District Leader waking up in the middle of the night puking his
guts out. We gave him a blessing to help him feel better but for the next
couple days he was out of it. Turns out there was an outbreak of the flu that
ended up getting hundreds of missionaries sick here? They had stop giving us
metal utensils at first and eventually stopped giving us ceramic plates to
combat the disease. They also fed us steaks for some reason this week? But
without a man's utensil or a man's plate... I just couldn't bring myself to
eating more than three...
"That sounds like
Rock and or Roll!" - Reverend Lovejoy
They MTC is getting a
lot of ground keeping done this week. They have chainsaws and big machinery
going on constantly! But that is not nearly as distracting as the raspy voice
of John Fogerty blaring out of the construction workers radio! It truly
is painful! I find myself telling my companion to take different routes so that
I don't put myself into that kind of temptation! Out of all the things I miss
the most... good old fashioned rock and or roll have got to one... and of
course my family.
"Security is
tight, like unto a dish" - NK
The Missioni
Presidenti got in this week. And, as you'd expect, so did hundreds of armed
security guards? Yeah... So we wake up one morning to find the whole campus on
this lock down with checkpoints and security guards everywhere! They called in
all the missionaries into a big 'ol devotional and told us that there were 110
mission presidents getting trained there and that... (wait for it)... ALL of
the FIRST PRESIDENCY, and 11/12 Apostles were on campus on that very moment!
Knowing that the bigs were in town it made me okay with having to checked every
time I went into the main building and having polizia watch my every move.
"They give me no
EAGLE POWERS! They give me no nutrients!" - Nacho Libre
In conjunction with
having all the mission presidents here they also shut down our cafeteria... We
have been eating synthetic meat and cheese out of brown paper sacks for
the past four days... They have had to adjust eating times so
that all 4000 missionaries come to eat at almost the same time so
the lines take about 45 minutes? But it is a small price to pay for
so great a cause.
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| The lines for din din. |
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"Get ready
you devil dogs because the Master Bebop Blaster of all time is about to give
you a SOUL INJECTION!" - Radio, Brave Little Toaster
I don't know how big a
deal that WORLD WIDE MISSIONARY BROADCAST was, but here at the MTC people were
going crazy! They had all 4000 missionaries walk down to the Marriot Center to
watch the devotional where we got to see 11/12 apostles and hear the new plans
for missionary work. If'n you don't know, the missionaries are now going to
have access to Facebook and more of the Internet ("FB" as kids
these days call it) to contact members. I honestly don't know how I feel about
that? In fact... As of right now I don't think I like it? But the brethren see
a bigger plan here so I'll trust them. They are also having members and ward
councils play a bigger role.
"Package a day
keeps the spirit away" - NK
My companion is funny
guy. He has gotten a package a day (in most cases 2-3 packages a day)! He also gets
about 7 letters a day from his family? I think that's very curious behavior. We
literally have gotten about 50 pounds of food and goods from Anziano Smith's
kindred. And these packages aren't exactly the smallest of packages? They
are like 2 feet by 2 feet boxes?! We've gotten fresh baked bread every day and
also a Fruit Bouquet! Let me just sincerely thank you right now for not doing
that. It is seriously distracting and probably not a good thing for the
receiver or sender (who lives in Atlanta). Craycray. But it doesn't seem
to be an oddity for him, so life goes on.
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"Non parlo
Italiano"
Well... The daunting
thought that I am 1/3 done with the language program when I in way feel 1/3
done with the language program. I catch on to stuff but not nearly as quick as
what I feel we should be catching onto? We leave for Italy in a month. I'm just
hoping that all of our trainers and the Italian people are patient with our
language? I don't really know how the other language departments are doing but
I think most of our learning is gonna come in the field.
"VERERDI NOTTE
CALCIO!!!"
The one moment of the
week that truly brightens my day if FRIDAY NIGHT SOCCER! A big
rivalry has developed between the Roma missionaries and the Milano missionaries
(the two missions in Italy). Pretty much in every aspect of our stay here at
the MTC there has been a friendly competition between.. well... whatever one
can compete at here at the MTC. All of the Italian missionaries have
the same schedule and live on the same floor. The biggest and most intense
of these "Roma v Milano" rivalries comes in VEREDI NOTTE
CALCIO! At 8 o clock we all go the pitch (yeah I play soccer I know that word)
and start the game! Both teams have tied 1-1 record right now! Pray for the
Romas to bring home another victory!
Ciao.
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| This is my teacher, whom my district leader says I will be some day. |
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| My district drew a picture of the evolution of me on our chalkboard. It goes me, Fratello Weller (my teacher), to a General Authority. |
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